Rifts of Blood
by FullMoonMaiden
Summary: Vegeta is plagued by nightmares that shake his mental stability. This does not help when a sudden flash of raw power shakes the planet, only to disappear almost as soon as it came. It feels familiar, but why? How will the Saiyan warriors handle this newcomer? How are they going to find them? I don't own Dragonball GT. I just wanted to make a story. Rated M for some violence.
1. Newcomer

The sky was black as a man with spiked, black hair, and a physical build that would intimidate a dragon laid in bed, gazing at what few stars could be seen through the window of the bedroom. His name was Vegeta; a proud warrior prince from a distant planet that had been destroyed many years ago. He, along with his friend, Goku, or Kakarot as he insisted upon calling him by his Saiyan birth name, both had come to this planet called "Earth" with the intention of destroying it, but had succumbed to the strange wonders that inhabited it.

The warrior turned his head away from the window and focused his attention to the blue haired woman sleeping soundly by his side. She had aged quite a bit since he had first met her on the distant planet Namek all those years ago. Her eyes were still the same cerulean blue as they were back then, but she had grown tired. He had noticed one or two more wrinkles appearing on her face year after year, but he could have cared less about a few wrinkles or even if she had let her body go all to Hell (though he was glad she hadn't). She was his wife and the mother of his two children.

The blue haired woman's eyes pinched shut as his name escaped from her lips in a soft, hurt whisper. She was dreaming about the time he had died trying to defeat a fat, pink character named Majin Buu no doubt. It was rare that she ever had a nightmare that involved anything besides her family business, Capsule Corp. But when she did, it would cause her to wake up in the morning with dark circles around her eyes that would make a raccoon look like it was missing a mask.

The Saiyan prince gently slipped his arm around the woman's waist and her body immediately relaxed as the dream was chased from her unconscious thoughts. He was one of the two strongest warriors in the universe, being second only to Kakarot. A small nightmare was nothing compared to him.

The prince's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the thought. Though he had come to terms with the fact that a low class warrior had surpassed him in strength, he did not like it. However, trying to become better than the only other pure blooded Saiyan left in the entire galaxy had caused him to change for the better and become the legend of his people: a Super Saiyan, even advancing to become a Super Saiyan 4 after Kakarot had achieved the power first.

Once he was sure his wife had returned safely to the realm of dreams, Veteta slowly crawled out of bed and walked through the giant mansion that was his home. He remembered the time where he had returned from trying to find Kakarot after the Saiyan hero had defeated the tyrant, Frieza, a merciless being who had destroyed his home planet and had enslaved him for most of his life, on the planet Namek and had refused to return home when his loved ones had wished for his return with the Namekian dragon balls. His wife, though just an irritating woman at the time, Bulma, had strutted up to him and demanded that he follow her to the shower so he could bathe; saying that he desperately needed a shower.

A small smirk coveted the warrior's lips. She had been quite stubborn and hot headed back then, and that same fire had only gotten worse and worse with age; especially after their union and the birth of their first child, Trunks. He had to admit, that had been one of the main traits that he found attractive about her. She had the nerve to dare and boss around the great Saiyan prince, Vegeta, as though he were nothing more than your everyday male walking down the street.

He made his way down a few halls before he found himself entering a well-lit kitchen. He glanced around the large, extravagantly furnished room and noticed a teenaged girl with blue hair and equally blue eyes that rivaled that of his sleeping wife's standing at the counter with a plate of food sitting in front of her. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

The girl jumped and whirled around to see her father standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his bare chest and a stern look in his eye. She swallowed the food in her mouth and set the same stern look in her eye before putting her hands on her hips (the same stance her mother took whenever she decided to scold Vegeta or either of the children).

"Shouldn't you be wearing something more than just your boxer-briefs around the house in the middle of the night?" The blue haired teen snapped back without missing a beat. "I don't need to see my dad walking around in his underwear, especially when I'm eating."

Vegeta smirked inwardly. This girl was definitely his and Bulma's daughter. She had her mother's ferocity, but his keen instinct and pride. It was a shame that she never had much interest in becoming a fighter.

He tilted his head and smirked at the plate of food sitting on the counter behind his daughter. "Well, well, well, and here I thought you were on a diet, Bulla."

The blue haired girl blushed slightly and crossed her arms in a huff. "What? I'm hungry! Do you want me to be like the other girls who starve themselves? I thought you said that girls like that were nothing but skanks."

Vegeta felt his pride swell as he walked over to the counter and swiped one of the meat covered skewers from the plate; devouring it point-five seconds.

"Dad," Bulla shouted furiously, "that was mine!"

"I paid for the food, so therefore I'm pretty sure this is mine." The Saiyan prince watched his daughter glare at him for a good minute before gently patting her on the head. He was not a very affectionate father, but his daughter meant the whole world to him and her opinion as well. He still remembered when all she had to do was tell him that his moustache made him look like a geek and he immediately shaved it off. Oh, how far the mighty have fallen.

He turned and walked back to the doorway. "Just be sure you go to bed as soon as you finish eating, Bulla. I don't need to deal with your moodiness because you didn't sleep enough."

Bulla was about to say something, but smiled and turned back to her plate of food. "Sure, whatever you say. Good night, Dad."

Vegeta grunted in response and continued walking through the mansion. He often ended up walking around whenever something bothered him, but for some odd reason he could not figure out what was causing the unsettling feeling deep within his being. The last time he had felt this way was when Trunks was just a boy and he had allowed Babidi to take control of his body so he could reawaken his evil desires and defeat Kakarot during the World's Martial Arts Tournament. Their clash had caused Buu to resurrect and ended in his demise when he realized that he had loved ones to protect.

Back then, he knew exactly what had caused him to be so restless. Now, on the other hand, he had no idea. He had suddenly woken up and ended up staring at the sky through the window for a few hours before he decided to go for a walk. It felt like there was something missing deep within him…and that something else was coming, but he did not know why.

The Earth had absolutely nothing to fear ever since Kakarot had defeated Omega Shenron and the dragon returned to normal. The powerful dragon had explained to them how the dragon balls had been overused and that he needed to take them away from Earth for a long time. Kakarot had almost gone with the magical beast, but everyone had convinced him to stay. The dragon had even decided to turn the young warrior back into an adult as a farewell gift.

So why was it that Vegeta had the feeling deep within his soul that something major was coming? There were no dragon balls in which to use, and no one in the entire universe dared to attack Earth because of the two Saiyan warriors protecting it. He must have been imagining things. The past year had been too peaceful; he was getting restless for another battle.

He walked past the living room and saw a purple haired young man sleeping on the couch. The warrior huffed irritably and covered the man with a blanket.

"Stubborn boy," he mumbled to himself, "he can be the president of Capsule Corp. all he wants, but if he expects me to play daddy every time he passes out from working too hard he has another thing coming. Honestly, I expected my son to be smarter than that."

Vegeta stared down at his sleeping son and felt a twinge of pride. This boy had turned into a Super Saiyan when he must have been at least eight years old and could hold his own against him back then. He was a mighty warrior that the Saiyan prince could easily be proud of, and was.

The black haired warrior continued walking until he came full circle and was starting to crawl back into bed. The sleeping woman hadn't moved a muscle since he had left, but as soon as he was back under the covers her unconscious body turned over and used his shoulder as a pillow; while draping her arm over his chest. It was unbelievable how restless this woman could be at times.

Vegeta was just about to fall back asleep when he suddenly felt a powerful pressure shake the foundation of the house and the very air he breathed. He quickly lurched out of bed and ran to the window.

Everything was shaking. Car alarms were going off, the air was almost visible with pressure, the road was beginning to crack, street lamps were flickering on and off wildly in the streets, and a low rumble could be heard throughout the city. What the Hell was going on?

"Vegeta," Bulma suddenly sat up in bed and clutched the blanket close to her, "what's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Vegeta stated sternly. "But whatever it is, I don't like it."

He quickly sprinted out of the house and into the yard to see where the pressure was coming from. Trunks joined him shortly after with a wild look on his face. "Father, what is that? I haven't felt a power like this since Shenron went completely ballistic!"

"Why does everyone ask me? I have no idea what that is!" Vegeta snapped. He knew it was a little harsh, even for him, but he had no clue what was going on. He couldn't even tell where the intense power was coming from. It seemed to be surrounding the whole city, and yet it felt like it was far away.

Suddenly, the power was gone. It felt as though the pressure had just evaporated into thin air. There wasn't even a trace of damage done to the city from what anyone could see, except for the few cracks in the road and the car alarms going off. What had just happened?

Bulma and Bulla came running outside with wide eyes.

"Vegeta, I just got a call from Chi-Chi," Bulma announced. "Apparently they just felt the same exact pressure we did! Only it caused a few of their trees to go down over there. I think whatever caused that huge power is closer to them than it is us!"

Vegeta glanced over at Trunks. "Let's go, son." His hair suddenly turned yellow as his power increased to that of a Super Saiyan.

Trunks blinked in confusion and nodded. "Uh…right!" He quickly joined his father and transformed.

"Wait, where are you two going?" Bulla asked.

"We're going to go look for the source of that power," Vegeta explained. "We're going to go to Kakarot's home first and see if they have any ideas about what could have caused that kind of pressure. You two can either come with or stay here and wait for us to return."

And with that, the two Super Saiyans flew off towards Goku's residence located in the mountains.

"Well, I don't plan on just sitting around and waiting for my husband and son to come back with their tails between their legs after being beaten up by whatever it is that caused that power wave," Bulma stated boldly as she turned towards the garage. "Come on, Bulla! We're following them!"

The teen blinked and smiled confidently. "You bet!"

Within five minutes the two women were flying in the fastest jet in their garage towards the mountains to find out what was going on.

Vegeta and Trunks finally made it to the fairly large hut located in the mountains and landed outside of the quaint house and were immediately greeted by a group of people: three women and four men.

Did you guys feel that too?" the most muscular of the men asked seriously. His hair was long and spiked and there was an out of place, stern look in his eye.

"Kakarot," Vegita powered down and walked up to the other Saiyan, "do you know where the source of that power came from?"

"Hey, Goku," Trunks greeted kindly, "is everyone alright over here?"

Goku smiled at Trunks and nodded. "Yeah, we're all just fine. Just a few trees fell over, but none of them fell on the house." He turned back to Vegeta. "And, no, I don't know where that power came from. I was hoping you would have an idea."

"Hey, Trunks!" The youngest man standing in the group greeted excitedly. He had short, spiked hair and was wearing a pair of jeans with a white, long sleeved shirt. "How's it going?"

Trunks smiled at his friend. "Hey, Goten, it's going pretty good; well, minus that strange pressure we felt back home."

The second oldest man walked up with a girl standing next to him. He looked almost exactly like Goten and also had short, spikey hair. The only difference was that he was a bit more muscular and was wearing a pair of glasses.

"Hey, Trunks," he greeted, "how bad are things in the city?"

"Hey, Gohan," Trunks replied. "The city itself is just fine. We only had a few cracks in the road and some car alarms went off, but it was crazy! It was even difficult to breathe. It felt like the air had suddenly disappeared."

"That's exactly how it felt here!" The girl standing by Gohan's side blurted out. She had shoulder length, black hair and a very tomboy attitude.

"Pan's right," Gohan explained. "We had the same exact feeling here, but we're not sure where it came from. But after hearing all that, whatever the source of that power is must be closer to us than it is to the city."

"And here I thought we were done with all the super powered villains!" an older woman, about Bulma's age, with short, black hair whined. "Can't we ever get a break?"

"Chi-Chi, it's not very surprising that someone came to Earth," the woman with long, black hair standing next to the exasperated woman stated. "We have the two strongest warriors in the universe here. Maybe they just want to test their strength."

"That might be, Videl, but we can't rule out the fact that they may also have other intentions," Gohan stated. "Usually, those who come to Earth want something more than just to have a small sparring match."

"Then I say we hurry up and find this thing so we can wipe him out before he causes any trouble," Vegeta stated firmly. "Don't forget. We don't have the dragon balls anymore to wish people back if they get killed by whatever it is that caused that power surge. We can't just sit around and wait for it to strike first."

"Vegeta, I know what you mean," Goku said sympathetically, "but we don't even know where that power came from. It was only here for a few minutes before it completely disappeared. Whoever or whatever it is that caused it obviously knows how to hide their energy. It's going to be like trying to find the androids before Cell came. The only way to find this thing is if we split up and look for them."

"Oh, no!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. "I am not allowing my family to go after some psycho who they can't even sense and have no idea what this thing looks like. The last time that happened Goku died and Gohon nearly lost an arm!"

"Woman, this may be the only way to make sure we don't all die!" Vegeta shouted.

"If I could make a suggestion," a green man wearing a turban and cape stated, "why don't we just wait a few days to see if we don't feel the pressure again. We all got to feel a good amount of it to recognize the energy if even a small amount of it gets released. We can track the source that way."

"Oh, hey, Piccolo," Goku exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here the whole time, Goku," Piccolo stated irritably.

"Oh, you were? I didn't notice," Goku smiled. "Are you planning on helping us find this newcomer?"

Piccolo smirked. "Hell no, I'm getting too old for this crap."

"Are you insane?" Vegeta growled. "Who knows when the thing is going to release any energy again? And who knows how many people it might kill by then? How do we even know if there will still be a planet to protect by the time that happens?"

A strong wind suddenly swept past the group of people as a Capsule Corp. jet landed in the grass a few meters away.

"Hey, everyone, what's up?" Bulma waved as she stepped out of the jet. Bulla joined shortly after.

"We're trying to figure out the best way to tackle this newcomer," Trunks informed. "Dad thinks that we need to go out and try to find whatever it is that caused that surge of power, and Piccolo suggested that we wait until the person releases some of their energy again."

Bulma pinched her chin between her thumb and index finger. "Well, I have to agree with Piccolo."

"What?" Vegeta exclaimed. "Have you finally lost your mind?"

"I'm saying that if you spend all your energy scouring the Earth trying to find this thing, how are you going to fight it if you find it?" Bulma shouted back at her husband. "Think for once! If you wait until you feel the energy or until we see something on TV, then you can just fly to that location and take care of whoever has that kind of power."

"By the time it's on the news, people will already be dead," Vegeta stated through clenched teeth. "We don't have the dragon balls anymore, so we can't just wish everything back to normal once the fight is over!"

"As much as I agree with Vegeta on this, we may have to wait it out," Goku said sullenly.

Everyone automatically stared at the Saiyan with wide eyes.

"Kakarot, are you honestly saying that you would rather wait until people die to find this thing?" Vegeta growled. His fists were clenched so tightly he could feel blood pooling in the palm of his hands.

"I don't want people to die," Goku replied. "But if the only way we can figure out where this power is coming from, it may be the only way!"

Vegeta huffed and crossed his arms in defeat. "Fine, do whatever you people want. Just don't come crying for my help when half of the world is destroyed and you can't handle whatever it is that decided to visit."

"Then it's decided," Gohan smiled. "We'll wait until we feel that energy again before we go off searching for this person. Besides, we never know. They could just be here for some sight-seeing."

"Oh, yes, because I am so sure that someone with that kind of power came to this planet just to see the fall leaves," Vegeta said sarcastically.

"But how are we going to keep in contact with each other if we live nearly five-hundred miles apart?" Pan asked. "I mean, even if we sense the power again, how do we signal the others if they aren't close enough to feel it?"

Everybody thought for a moment, and then Bulma clapped her hands together.

"Well, it looks like we're having another sleep over like we did when Cell was running rampant! We can use our house as a home base so we can all check in and update on what we all know."

"Sounds good to me," Goku laughed.

"Sure, I'm game. It'll be just like old times," Gohan nodded.

Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm surrounded by idiots."


	2. Trunks has a Date?

Everyone was sitting in the living room at the Brief residence as they watched the news for any information about a possible town that was wiped out or anything else that would be considered strange. Krillin and his wife, Android 18, had decided to visit the residence with their daughter, Marron, the day after the intense energy shook the planet to see if anyone knew what had happened.

Krillin was a very short man with grey hair and equally grey moustache. His wife, Android 18, was a beautiful young woman who was actually the close to the same age as her husband and had short, blonde hair and blue eyes. Their daughter, Marron, was the spitting image of her mother, but with longer hair tied in low pigtails and minus the powerful fighting ability that came from either of her parents.

Everyone was more laughing and telling jokes as they occasionally checked the news for any information, but it had been over a month since the strange power had appeared and everyone was beginning to is, everyone except a certain Saiyan prince.

Vegeta stared out the window at the still day that was progressing smoothly as if nothing was going on. Everything was calm and peaceful in the real world, but in his dreams it was another story.

Over the past few weeks since the mysterious energy had shaken the Earth, Vegeta's dreams had turned into visions of planet Vegeta's demise. This was very strange since he had not been on the planet, or anywhere near it, when it exploded. He would be running through the halls of his father's palace as fear coursed through his veins. He would then burst into the space pod room where he would tell the people working there to send him far away. Shortly after that he would be shot into space and witness in pure terror as the planet was blown away.

Everything felt so real, but that wasn't what was unsettling about the dreams. Whenever he talked, a female voice would replace his own. If he passed by someone, they would automatically bow in respect but use the term "princess" instead of "prince". The whole ordeal was a disgrace.

"Hey, Vegeta!"

The Saiyan prince turned his bloodshot eyes to the warrior who had managed to surpass him in strength. "What is it, Kakarot?"

Goku smiled awkwardly at his friend. "Man," he laughed halfheartedly, "you don't look so good. Don't you ever sleep?"

Vegeta glared at the overly happy goof standing in front of him. "I have been sleeping just fine. Shouldn't you be paying attention to that ridiculous news anchor for some sort of clue as to where the mysterious fighter may show up next?"

"Oh, come on, Vegeta," Goku laughed. "We haven't felt anything in almost a month. I highly doubt it's going to show up now. We may have gotten lucky. Maybe the person didn't even stop on the planet, or maybe they already left."

"Tsk, I highly doubt it," Vegeta grumbled. He walked passed Goku and made a bee line towards his room.

"Vegeta," Bulma suddenly came out of the kitchen and saw her prince walking irritably down the hall, "are you alright? Where are you going?"

"I am going to take a nap. I cannot take the idle chattering of those people in the living room any longer." Vegeta passed his wife without so much as a second glance. "I would like to be left alone."

Bulma stared after her loved one with worried eyes. He had been acting strangely for the past month. He was barely sleeping at night and was eating less and less. There had even been a few nights where she would wake up and find him in the gravity room training at such high levels that he would collapse in a coma-like sleep. It was beginning to worry her.

"Alright," the blue haired woman replied with a sweet smile, "dinner will be ready at about six. I'll probably have Trunks or Bulla wake you up when it's ready."

Vegeta grunted and closed the door behind him loudly.

Bulma stared at the door with worried eyes before walking into the living room. She sat down next to Chi-Chi and sighed.

"Uh-oh, I know that sigh," Chi-Chi teased. "What's wrong, Bulma?"

"It's Vegeta," Bulma admitted. "He hasn't been himself for a few weeks, or he's been more like his old self. He barely eats, he almost never sleeps, and he's almost always in that gravity room training. Whenever he actually does sleep, he's so restless it's unbelievable. I've woken up to him tossing and turning in a cold sweat; mumbling odd things."

"Like what kind of odd things?" Chi-Chi asked.

"I'm not sure," Bulma sighed. "I've only caught a few words. He goes on about things like his old planet being destroyed whenever I hear a full phrase."

"I one time heard him say some person's name when he fell asleep in the chair," Bulla interrupted from the couch.

"He did?" Bulma cocked an eyebrow. "What was the name?"

Bulla thought for a minute. "I think it was Ine or Inari or something like that. He was mumbling when he said it, but I know it started with an I."

"Are you sure Vegeta wasn't just hungry for rice and shrimp?" Krillin laughed. "From the sound of things, he was probably hungry from not eating enough and just wanted a kabob of grilled shrimp on a plate of rice."

"Well, considering that the first thing he said when he woke up after saying said name was 'THAT BITCH!' I think it was a person he was dreaming of." Bulla explained.

Bulma's eyes narrowed as she thought. "Your father has never mentioned either of those names before. I wonder who that is."

"Maybe it's someone he fought back when he was a kid," Gohan interjected.

"That could be," Bulma smiled slightly. "That would also explain why he's been tossing and turning in his sleep so much. He must be dreaming about some old grudge he had with someone from his old planet."

There was a loud _THUMP_ from upstairs and Trunk's voice echoed down the staircase, into the living room.

"Dammit! Don't tell me it's already that late! I completely missed her!"

Everyone listened to the shuffling coming from upstairs before Trunks came sprinting down the stairs wearing a pair of black dress shoes, dark navy dress pants, a long-sleeved, purple, button up shirt, and carrying a navy blue jacket in the crook of his left arm. The young man was almost to the door when he was suddenly cut off by two of the most terrifying women in the universe; the only two human females who had the ferocity to tame the two strongest warriors in the entire galaxy.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, son?" Bulma asked sweetly.

"You'd think you were going on a date or something," Chi-Chi added.

Trunks's eyes bulged as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "W-What? Me? A date? Don't be silly!" He laughed awkwardly as his face started to turn red. "I-I'm just on my way to a meeting with the CEO of another company to see if we can't expand Capsule Corp. a little."

"Really?" Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Is this CEO a woman?"

"Well, actually, yes, she is," Trunks regained a little of his composure, but that wasn't saying much.

"And what exactly is the name of this other company?" Chi-Chi asked.

"U-Um, w-well, i-its…" there was a strong breeze as Trunks used his Saiyan speed to skirt around the two women in front of him and flew out the door. "Sorry! I have to get going! I'll see you later!"

Bulma blinked and turned to Chi-Chi. "What do you think?"

"I don't believe a single word of it," Chi-Chi replied.

"I don't either," Bulma turned towards the youngest people of the group. "Goten, Bulla, Pan, how do you feel about doing a little covert operation?"

Trunks landed behind a grove of trees in a park about ten blocks away from the Capsule Corporation's headquarters and slipped into his jacket. He knew his mother was going to kill him later, but he was an adult now. He didn't have to explain where he was going all the time.

The half-saiyan man quickly jogged down the sidewalk through the park until he came up to a vendor selling cotton candy and stopped to buy a stick of blue and a stick of pink before continuing. He hadn't lied to his mother and Chi-Chi when he said he wasn't going on a date. Though, he was acting like it was.

He finally reached the large fountain located in the middle of the park and scoped out the vicinity. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. There, sitting on the bench on the opposite side of the fountain, was the reason why he had made it a habit to come visit this particular park every day for the past three weeks either during his lunch break or immediately after work, and on some days both.

Sitting on the bench was a young woman who appeared to be a few years younger than him, but not as young as his little sister. She had long, silver hair that had a streak of grey in her bangs, beautiful amber colored eyes that reminded him of smoldering coals, and a smile that caused every man passing by to look twice. She was wearing a simple, light blue denim shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, form fitting, light grey pants that complimented her long, toned legs with a silver belt, and a pair of fingerless gloves that she always wore whenever she rode her bike. There was a small sketchbook sitting in her lap as she dragged a charcoal pencil over the paper and a red and white Shiba Inu sitting obediently at her feet.

The young Saiyan-human hybrid felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach as a warm feeling spread throughout his body. He gently slapped his face and took a deep breath before sauntering around the fountain, hiding one cotton candy behind his back while nibbling on the other. It wasn't until he had almost passed the girl that he decided to say something.

"Whoa! Fancy meeting you here," the purple haired, blue eyed boy exclaimed in false surprise. "Who would have thought you'd be at the park today?"

The girl looked up at him and smiled. "I know. It is strange, especially since I come to this same spot at this very park every day."

Trunks felt his mind go blank at her smile and had to mentally kick himself to get back on his train of thought. Why did this girl have to have such an effect on him?

"Well, I call that good luck." He revealed the blue cotton candy from behind his back and smiled. "I also call it good luck that I found you, because I seem to have bought an extra cotton candy and don't think I'll be able to eat it. Do you think you could help me out?"

Trunks felt and heard his voice crack at the last statement and immediately felt his face explode in a whirlwind of fire.

The girl covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to suppress a giggle. "Oh, yeah, you definitely had no idea that I was going to be here if you just happened to buy two things of cotton candy from the vendor down the path."

The young half-saiyan felt a bead of sweat roll down his face. _"Darn it! She found out!"_ He thought to himself. _"She must think I'm a total loser now!"_

But instead of laughing uncontrollably and leaving the flustered boy high and dry, the girl just smiled up at him and patted the seat next to her; signaling for him to sit down.

Trunks felt his heart nearly soar as high as he could fly at that moment. He graciously handed her the remaining cotton candy and gracelessly missed the bench as he sat down. The sound of the girl's laughter sang through his ears like a beautiful song as he quickly recovered from his stumble and sat next to her, cotton candy in hand.

"First day sitting down?" the girl teased as she ripped a piece of cotton candy from the giant ball of fluff and placed it in her mouth.

"Uh, well, the bench is further back than usual," Trunks managed to choke out. The girl laughed again and gently squeezed his forearm.

"You know, I thought there was something wrong with the bench today," she humored. "It must be further back today than it usually is." She turned to the dog lying at her feet. "What do you think, Shiba?"

The red and white dog yawned and laid it's head on its paws.

The two sat on the bench for a few minutes as they slowly ate their cotton candies in peace. Trunks couldn't help but occasionally glance at the beautiful woman sitting next to him as she ate. She was so gentle as she ate that a small bluebird had decided to land on her shoulder; causing her to smile warmly and feed the small bird a piece of bread that she took from her backpack. It was so much different than what he had grown up with; what with having a saiyan prince as a father and a mother who had to be as hot headed as the prince to even get him to listen.

The girl finished her cotton candy and turned her attention to him. "Thank you, Trunks. That was wonderful."

"O-oh, it was," Trunks had to clear his throat in fear that it was going to crack again; "it was nothing. Like I said, I accidentally bought one too many." He quickly stared down at his lap and mentally slapped his forehead. If she actually believed that, he would have been surprised.

"Well," the girl smiled warmly at him, "whether or not it was a way to get rid of an extra cotton candy, it was still nice. Thank you."

Trunks felt a fresh blush color his cheek. "You're welcome…Inari."

Inari laughed slightly. "Trunks, we've been friends for almost a month. Do you have to act so awkward when you say my name?"

"Well, maybe if it wasn't such a pretty name, I wouldn't feel so awkward saying it," Trunks teased without even thinking. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his eyes widened to double the size and he turned to the girl sitting beside him. Only to see that instead of being grossed out, she was blushing slightly.

"You think my name is pretty?"

Trunks didn't know what to do. This was the first time he had ever seen Inari blush. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. His brain was completely fried from just looking at her.

"W-Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?" He defended. "We are friends, right?"

Inari smiled at him and nodded. "Of course we are!"

The butterflies in Trunks's stomach had spread to the rest of his body and he stared triumphantly at the fountain. He was in! She thought of him as a friend!

His good mood was suddenly dashed as sudden realization hit him. She thought of him as a friend. What if he was stuck in the friend zone now? He'd never be able to get out of it! If he was going to do this, he had to do it now before he was too far in the friend zone.

He slowly slid his arm across the back of the bench and cleared his throat; focusing on the water spout draining into the fountain. "Inari, I know we've been friends for a while now, and I absolutely love having a friend like you; n-not that I'm saying that I love you or anything! Well, I mean. I do really like you…a lot. So," he cleared his throat as it cracked again, "I-I was…wondering if you'd, I don't know, want to go on a date sometime…with me?"

"Oh, Trunks, that's so sweet. I would love to go on a date with you!" a fairly masculine voice exclaimed.

Trunks turned his head so fast that he nearly gave himself whiplash. Instead of having his arm around a beautiful, blushing girl; his best friend was sitting next to him with a fake blush on his face and batting his eyelashes.

"Goten, what the hell!" Trunks yanked his arm away and nearly fell off of the bench. "What're you doing here?"

Goten nearly fell off the bench he was laughing so hard. "Your mom told Bulla, Pan, and I to follow you and see where you were going! Oh man, this was totally worth it!"

Trunks was about to pounce on his friend when it suddenly hit him. "Bulla and Pan are here with you?" He stared at Goten with a stern gaze. "Where are they and where's Inari?"

"I'm over here videotaping this priceless moment!" Pan announced as she suddenly popped up out of nowhere. "And Bulla is talking to your lady friend over there," she pointed to the rose garden down the pathway where the blue haired teen was talking with the silver haired girl straddling her bike.

The two girls laughed and Inari said something to Bulla before waving goodbye to the three people sitting on the bench and peddling away with her dog trotting leisurely at her side.

Trunks felt his heart sink. His one chance to ask the most beautiful girl on the planet on a date, and it was ruined by his best friend, his best friend's niece, and his sister. Was it too much to ask for just a little alone time?

The half-saiyan warrior stood up and stared at the young girl in front of him. "Pan, give me that video camera."

Pan thought about it and stuck her tongue out at the purple haired man. "I don't think so. You'll have to catch me first!" She quickly sprinted down the pathway, grabbing Bulla's hand and dragging the blue haired teen with her.

"Get back here!" Trunks was about to give chase when he was suddenly put in a Full Nelson hold. "Goten!" He struggled against his friend's grip. "Let me go!"

Goten laughed. "Not a chance. I can't have you killing my niece just yet. Bulma wanted to know what was going on, so Bulla thought a video camera was a good idea. If anything, you should put your sister in a headlock. Not my niece."

Trunks slipped out of Goten's hold after five minutes of struggling and ran down the pathway towards the grove of trees where he could take off and fly home; only to be tackled into the fountain by his childhood friend. The giant water wrestling match that ensued caused a horde of people to surround the fighting friends almost immediately.

Bulla and Pan pulled into the Brief compound and quickly ran into the house with the video camera held up high like a trophy.

"Mom, you are never going to believe this!" Bulla laughed as she and Pan plopped themselves in front of the TV and put the disk from the camera in the player.

"What? Does Trunks have a girlfriend?" Bulma asked in disbelief.

"Just watch this," Pan laughed as she and Bulla sat down on the couch and pressed play on the remote.

Everyone scooted closer to the TV as Trunks and a silver haired girl appeared on the screen. They heard his fake surprised speech from the very beginning and watched as the purple haired boy became more and more flustered as the time passed. Finally they watched how Bulla and Goten had gotten the other girl to stand up and switch spots with Goten before leaving the screen and heard the poor, nervous boy ask his friend on a date.

As soon as the video finished, everyone in the room burst out laughing. Krillin nearly slammed his head against the coffee table he was laughing so hard. Gohan and Goku were laughing so hard that they could hardly stay on the couch. Bulla, Pan, and Marron were holding their sides as tears filled their eyes. And Android 18, Videl, Chi-Chi, and Bulma were giggling to themselves.

"Looks like Trunks has a bit of a crush," Videl laughed.

"At least she's pretty," Chi-Chi added.

"That's true," Bulma giggled. "We'll have to invite the girl over sometime so we can get to know her better. I'm sure Bulla would love to have a sister."

"I don't know about that girl, Mom," Bulla laughed. "Her fashion sense is really bad. She was actually wearing a furred belt!"

Vegeta walked down the hallway towards the living room in a foul mood. The sound of irritating laughter had woken him up from the first decent sleep he had gotten in a month. He was going to crack some skulls together.

"What in the world is all that racket?" the Saiyan prince demanded.

Everyone sobered up almost immediately.

"Vegeta," Bulma ran up and hugged her lover around the neck, "our son has a little girlfriend. Isn't that great?"

"Wonderful, now why is that so funny that everyone is insisting on laughing so loud that it wakes me up?"

Goku leaned back on the couch and turned to his friend. "It's a great thing, Vegeta. The next thing you know you'll have a daughter in law and grandkids running around the place. You should be happy."

"So long as the brats don't wake me up I'll be just fucking-fantastic," the irritable warrior stated bluntly.

"Dad," Bulla turned off the video player and turned to her father, "what's gotten into you? You've been nothing but a complete ox since that energy wave shook the planet. You're being a complete jerk!"

"Watch your mouth, young lady," Vegeta snapped. "I will not tolerate such back-sas. Am I clear?"

"No, do you understand?" Bulma snipped at her husband as she stood in front of him. "You've been unbearable for the past month. Everyone here is worried about that power we felt, but you keep slinking around like you're the only one who actually cares! If you happen to know something we don't, please share it so we can understand why you're being such an asshole!"

Vegeta was about to say something when Krillin suddenly pointed to the TV screen. "Hey, you guys, look at this!"

Everyone immediately turned their attention to the TV as Bulla turned up the volume.

"_We have breaking news! A train filled with people has suddenly lost control and is careening towards the south end of West City,"_ the newsman informed. _"Officials are setting up cement blocks on the tracks in hopes that it may slow the train down before it reaches its last stop and runs off of the tracks. We go to Akira Toshiro at the sight of the blockade."_

Goten and Trunks walked through the door soaking wet with smiles on their faces. Trunks looked at everyone's serious faces and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"Shh!" Chi-Chi hushed and turned her attention back to the screen.

"_Thank you,"_ the female reporter said as she stood in front of a long line of cement dividers. _"I am standing at the site of the blockade that will hopefully stop the renegade train from careening off the tracks at the end of the line. As you can see,"_ the screen showed the many meters of blocks being set up by police, firemen, and military, _"everyone is helping set up blocks before the train makes it here."_

"Oh my gosh!" Videl gasped. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"What are we going to do?" Gohan asked. "No offense, but there are so many people there, if we try to do anything everyone will see. We're just going to have to hope that the military can handle it. After all, it's not like there's some crazy person trying to destroy the planet. I'm sure they can take care of something like this."

"I hope you're right, Gohan," Bulma said sullenly. "That train is full of people. How do we know that those blockades won't just cause the train to jump off the track and hurt the people inside?"

Everything was silent as the thought sunk into everyone's minds.

"We need to go help them," Trunks stated.

"Now, Trunks, don't get hasty," Vegeta warned.

"I agree with Trunks," Goku seconded, standing up from his seat. "If we do this right, we can save those people without anyone noticing."

"How exactly do you plan on managing that?" Krillin asked.

"I'm not sure, but we have to do something. We can't just sit around and do nothing." Goku explained as he walked towards the door.

Vegeta shoved his hand into the other Saiyan's shoulder. "Hold on! So when it comes to something actually dangerous, you say we just wait it out. But now that there's something miniscule on the line, you want to go and play hero. Is that it?"

Goku stared his adversary dead in the eye. "Vegeta, I only said that then because we needed to be smart. We didn't know the problem back then, but we know it here. We know what we're up against now."

The tension between the two warriors was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Everyone in the room thought that another Saiyan showdown was eminent, until the newsperson on the TV suddenly shouted.

"_Here it comes! And, what's this? Is that a person standing on the track?"_

"What?" Everyone turned towards the screen. There was a person standing on the track, facing the train. They were wearing a denim shirt, grey jeans, and a black hood over their head that stuck up out of their shirt.

"_What on earth is that person thinking?"_ the newswoman exclaimed. _"Is this some kind of suicide attempt? Oh, the humanity of it all! They're not going to make it out of the way in time!"_

Just then, the strong energy that had shaken the planet nearly a month ago caused the earth to quake once more.

"What the heck?" Pan shrieked.

"Why does this have to happen now, of all times?" Android 18 shouted over the rumble that was rolling through the city.

Vegeta turned his attention back to Goku. "Well, Kakarot, I think we know where our visitor is now. I might just join you and Trunks to see how strong this individual is."

Goku nodded. "Let's go!"

Goku and Vegeta suddenly vanished. Gohan, Trunks, Pan, and Goten all followed the two Saiyans out of the house and took flight towards the blockade located in the south part of the city.

As soon as the fighters arrived, the whole area was shaking so hard that the roads were crumbling and the glass from the buildings was shattering. The vans from news crew sitting a safe distance away from the track were almost bouncing from the pressure.

"Where is that power coming from?" Pan winced.

"Down there!" Gohan pointed at the individual standing on the tracks in front of the oncoming train.

"Well, why don't we just sit back and watch this person stop the train?" Vegeta suggested. "Who knows, maybe they'll be ground up into dog food and we won't have to worry about fighting them."

"Vegeta!" Goten gasped in shock.

"That's not how things are done around here, Vegeta," Goku shouted. "What's gotten into you lately? It's almost like you've truly reverted back to your evil self."

The saiyan prince glared at the group of fighters. "Just butt out of it! I don't know why I'm acting this way! There's just something about this particular energy that pisses me off! And I mean more than usual! It feels familiar somehow and I can't place how or from where!"

Everyone stared at Vegeta in disbelief. He recognized this energy?

"If it feels familiar, then you should know a way to stop it! Right?" Pan exclaimed.

"I said it felt familiar," Vegeta snapped. "That doesn't mean I know who it is. Besides, I feel like it's far too powerful to be the person who comes to mind if I think about it."

There was a loud crash from below and everyone's heads snapped towards the collision below. What they saw they could hardly believe.

The mystery person had caught the train and was sliding backwards threw the cement columns on the track. Even though they had managed to not turn into hamburger from the train itself, the blocks were causing the person's knees and ankles to give out from under them as the steel behemoth slammed them into pillar after pillar. Rubble, blood, and pieces of fabric were flying through the air as the individual slowly slid under the front of the train.

Gohan turned his daughter's face into his torso as the person completely disappeared beneath the slowing, steel beast.

"I-I think I'm going to be sick," Goten choked as he watched the blood squirt beneath the tracks of the train.

Goku's fists clenched tightly. He had been so busy arguing with Vegeta that he lost his chance to help the person. How could he have allowed himself to be distracted so easily?

The energy ceased its flow as the train continued to plow through the blockade.

"I'm going to stop it," Trunks said, powering up to a super saiyan.

Goku stepped forward. "Hold on, Trunks. I'll help you out."

Just as the two warriors were about to fly down and stop the train a larger, more intense wave of energy suddenly erupted from beneath the train. The train's engine was completely blown off of the rest of the train and run into the ground nearly five miles away as the mystery person appeared behind the train's caboose, grabbed on to the bottom, and dug their heels into the ground. Within five minutes, the train had stopped and the individual was buried up to their waist in track and dirt.

"Wow!" Pan exclaimed as she turned towards Goku. "How did they do that, Grandpa?"

Vegeta suddenly flew down to the hole the mystery warrior was bloody and broken in and peered down into its depths. What he saw caused his blood to run cold and his heart to stop. "This can't be."

Trunks, Goten, Gohan, Goku, and Pan appeared by the saiyan prince's side shortly after.

"Vegeta, what's wrong?" Goku gazed down into the hole. There was a girl about Goten's age lying in a pool of her own blood at the bottom. Her silver hair had turned crimson and her body seemed mangled beyond recognition.

"Father?" Trunks looked down into the hole and nearly puked. "Inari!"

Vegeta's eyes widened as he watched his son jump into the hole and gently hold the girl tightly in his arms. He knew her? How? Either way it didn't matter. She was bleeding out. The only way she would be saved would be if she was rushed back to the Brief home and put in the healing tank Bulma had replicated from his previous knowledge of Saiyan technology.

"Inari, hold on," Trunks begged as he picked the girl up and heaved her out of the hole. "I'm going to get you to my mom. I know she can help."

"Trunks, put the girl down," Vegeta ordered.

The purple haired young man stared at his father in disbelief. "What? Why? She needs help? She just saved that train full of people! I don't care if she's the powerful adversary that we sensed last month! I'm not going to let her di-"

The young Saiyan hybrid was cut off by his father's fist slamming into his stomach.

"Vegeta, what's wrong with you?" Goku demanded. "You just attacked your own son!"

Vegeta completely disregarded the comment as he took the dying girl from his son's arms.

"Father," Trunks glared up at the man in front of him with distaste, "what are you doing? You can't just kill her. She's not some kind of monster."

"Relax, son," Vegeta replied as he walked away. "I'm going to be the one to bring her to the house. I will meet you all there."

No one had time to object to the prince's statement before he suddenly flew off towards the Brief residence. No one even had the speed in which to catch him at the rate he was flying. The only thing the Saiyan's mind was to get the woman in his arms to the healing chamber back at the house. He would have to explain and apologize to his son later.

Bulma rushed out the door as soon as she saw her husband land on the yard with a bloody corpse in his arms. "I saw the whole thing on TV! Is he okay?"

Vegeta gazed down at the woman he was carrying. "She needs to spend some time in the healing chamber. Is it ready?"

"She?" Bulma examined the girl closer and gasped. "But, that's Trunks's girlfriend! H-How-"

"Is the healing chamber ready or not?" Vegeta repeated more sternly.

The blue haired woman jumped at the sudden fear in her husband's tone. "Of course it is. What do you think I am some kind of slacker?"

"Good," Vegeta walked passed his wife and went straight to the invention's room with everyone in the house nipping at his heels. He opened the healing chamber and gently set the silver haired woman inside; taking extra care not to move her too much as he put the mask over her mouth and nose.

Everyone watched in complete and utter confusion as the most sensitivity challenged man they knew suddenly grew a gentle touch and caring heart.

"Hey, uh, Bulma," Krillin nudged the blue haired woman, "what's gotten into Vegeta? He's acting so different. I don't think I've ever seen him like this before."

Bulma stared in wonder as she watched her husband close the glass tank and initiate the healing sequence. This was the first time she had ever seen him act like this. True, there were times where he would be sensitive towards here, but that was usually when absolutely no one around or whenever they decided to get intimate. And even then, he never acted like this.

The healing fluid finished filling the tank and the silver haired woman inside immediately started to twitch. That was a good sign. It meant that she was already starting to heal.

"Alright, Vegeta, what's going on here?" Chi-Chi demanded. "Why aren't Goku, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, or Pan back yet, and why are you suddenly treating this girl like she's the greatest treasure on earth? Shouldn't Trunks be doing that?"

There was no answer. Vegeta just stared at the monitor connected to the tank and read the vital signs.

"Vegeta, this is ridiculous," Krillin stated firmly. "Why are you acting so weird? What's with this girl? I mean we can all understand why Trunks would have a thing for her, but you have a wife and kids; plus she's old enough to be your daughter! You barely even know her!"

The short man saw the silver belt around the girl's waist unravel and start twitching in the fluid. His eyes widened to double the size and he yelled. "And why does she have a tail!"

Everyone in the room suddenly stared at the tank and shrieked at the sight of the tail swishing gently in the glowing fluid.

Vegeta finally turned around and regained his usual composure. "I will explain everything once she wakes up," he pointed to the girl in the tank, "but right now I think it would be best if we just left her alone so she can heal." The saiyan prince exited the room; leaving everyone wide eyed in shock.

There was a saiyan that Vegeta obviously knew, floating in the healing chamber in front of them. For as long as any of them could remember, Vegeta and Goku had been the only pure blooded saiyans. What did the sudden appearance of this new saiyan mean?

Bulma had no idea what this meant, but she knew one thing for sure. A certain saiyan prince was going to get the ass chewing of his life if he didn't explain what was going on within the next ten seconds!


	3. Awakening of a Secret

Bulma stared at the silver haired woman sleeping soundly in front of her. Once the healing chamber had finished, Vegeta had moved the girl into one of the guest rooms so she could rest. But that had been nearly a week ago.

Over the course of the week where the girl, Inari, had been sleeping at their house; everyone had checked in on her at least once. Vegeta had once gone into the room and sat in the very chair to watch her for a full two days before he left; he never returned after that. Trunks was constantly checking in on her whenever he could, whether it was the middle of the night or before or after work. Chi-Chi and Goku had come in a few times along with Gohan, Goten, Pan, and Videl to see if the girl was okay and to make sure she was a saiyan. Bulla even checked in every once in a while; she would talk about how hopeless Trunks was when it came with women. Then Krillin would walk in every once in a while to sit and play with the silver tail that would occasionally fall out of the bed; causing it to twitch and recede under the covers.

Everyone seemed so comfortable to walk in and just check in on the saiyan woman. The only person who seemed to be hesitant about ever going into the room was Bulma.

The blue haired woman had tracked her lover down and demanded an explanation for why he was acting so strange, especially since this girl had shown up. He would just give her the same response every time: "I will explain everything when she wakes up."

Though she was happy that her husband had turned back into his old self since the source of the power had been discovered, she couldn't help but feel jealous. This woman had caused the proud and very thick headed saiyan prince to snap out of his bad mood streak and revert back to his somewhat more manageable self, but she couldn't even get him to eat a decent meal in over a month. Could this girl be an old girlfriend he had back on planet Vegeta?

A deep bark snapped Bulma out of her trance and she looked down at the red and white dog sitting at her feet. She smiled slightly and scratched the furry creature gently behind the ear. This animal had randomly showed up at their door three days ago and ran straight to Inari's bedside when the door opened.

"I bet you're just worried sick about your master, huh, boy?"

The dog whined slightly and laid his head on his paws.

"Don't worry," Bulma soothed. "I'm sure she'll wake up any day now."

Her heart suddenly ached. Something deep inside her secretly didn't want the girl to wake up. She didn't think she could handle the truth about who she was if she did. What if she had been a secret lover of Vegeta's before? What if she had been his fiancée or wife? Would she take her husband away from her when she woke up?

A soft moan suddenly sounded from the blanket as it moved slightly.

Bulma stared at the silver haired girl and smiled at the sight of the woman's eyes opening slightly. She was awake.

Inari slowly opened her eyes and winced at the harsh sunlight that sent a severe wave of pain through her head. She shielded her eyes with her hand and tried again; this time opening them slowly so she could get accustomed to the blinding light. When her eyes were finally open, she tried to sit up but immediately collapse back on the soft mattress beneath her.

"Did anyone get the number off that car?" she thought out loud. "Someone should revoke that guy's license."

Bulma couldn't help but laugh a little. This girl thought she had been hit by a car? She truly was a saiyan if she mistook a train for a car upon impact.

"Just relax," the blue haired woman whispered gently, "your wounds are healed, but your strength isn't back yet."

The silver haired woman suddenly flinched away from the older woman sitting next to her and sat up. "W-Who are you?" She looked around. "Where am I?" She looked back at Bulma and stared at her intently. "Have I met you before?"

Bulma laughed slightly. "No, you haven't met me, but you have met my daughter. She looks just like me." She smiled at the girl sitting in front of her. "You're at Capsule Corp. My name is Bulma Brief. You know my son, Trunks."

Inari blushed slightly. "O-Oh, Trunks is your son. He mentioned that his mother was the ex-president of Capsule Corp. I would have thought that you would be older."

Bulma blinked and furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Don't take it the wrong way!" Inari immediately defended. "I've heard people talk about you and I personally would have thought that you would have looked older. You've aged really well."

The blue haired woman laughed. "Well, after that, I think you're the perfect girl to date my son! Saiyan or not, I like you already!" She suddenly hardened her gaze and stared at the girl sitting in bed. "Just stay away from my husband, or else we'll have a problem."

Inari's eyes widened somewhat. "What did you call me?"

Bulma blinked in confusion. "Aren't you a saiyan? I mean, you have a tail, and Vegeta sure was keen on getting you healed. It was a surprise actually. I've never seen him act that way before."

"Vegeta wanted me to get healed?" the silver haired woman repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, he was really worried about you," Bulma replied. "Do you two know each other?

The sparkle in Inari's eyes dulled. "You must be mistaken. The Vegeta I know could care less if I live or die. Actually, I think he'd be happier if I was dead…but…"

Bulma watched as a small, relieved smile played on the woman's lips.

"I'm glad…that he's alright," Inari finished. "I was worried that he may have been killed over the years. I guess it's not surprising that he's alive and well though. He was always strong."

The blue haired woman felt her heart pull slightly at the sight of the beautiful young woman sighed in relief at the knowledge of her husband's safety. She must have truly loved him. "You must know my husband pretty well, and care for him very much."

Inari's eyes widened as she stared at Bulma in disbelief. "Wait…could you repeat that? I think I misheard you."

Bulma blinked. "I just said that you must care for Vegeta very much."

"No, before that, you called him something else besides Vegeta," the silver haired girl interrogated.

"I called him my husband," Bulma explained plainly. "That's what we call the men we marry here on Earth."

"VEGETA'S YOUR HUSBAND?" Inari exclaimed; jumping onto the windowsill in surprise. She suddenly lost her balance and fell backward onto the hard ground below with a solid _THUD!_

"Oh my God! Goten, go help her!" a shrill voice ordered.

Inari rolled over onto her stomach and looked up. A car full of people, all with black hair, was parked ten feet in front of her. One of the boys, the youngest by the looks of it, immediately ran over to her and helped her up.

"Hey, are you alright?" the boy asked.

"I'm fine," Inari replied as she was set on her feet. "Thank you."

"No problem," the boy laughed.

Inari looked the boy over and it suddenly hit her. "You're that boy I met at the park. The one who asked if I could move so you could sit next to Trunks."

Goten blinked and smiled even bigger. "Yup! That was me!" He turned and pointed to the group of people walking towards them. "And that's my mom, Chi-Chi, my dad, Goku, and my older brother, Gohan."

Inari smiled awkwardly as the group finally reached her and introduced themselves properly. Chi-Chi was the first one to look the girl over carefully to make sure she didn't have any cuts or bruises, Gohan introduced himself with a tight, yet friendly, handshake and a smile, and Goku clapped her on the back so hard it nearly knocked the wind out of her. Who on earth were these people?

"Wow, Trunks is sure going to be excited to see that you're awake," Chi-Chi teased. "He's been worried sick."

"Can't blame him," Goku laughed. "He did see the girl he's interested in get run over by a train."

Just then, Bulma and Bulla came running outside. Inari looked carefully between the two women and realized that she knew the younger one. She had been at the park with Goten and another girl.

"Inari," Bulla exclaimed, "it's great to see that you're up!"

"Y-Yeah, I've been getting a lot of that the past five minutes," Inari laughed awkwardly.

"Glad to see you're awake, but not happy to see you standing in the middle of my yard almost naked," Bulma added sternly.

Inari looked down and realized that she was only wearing a pair of spandex shorts that barely covered anything and a bandage wrapped around her abdomen and chest. Her face immediately exploded in fire as she covered her chest with one arm and tried to cover her bottom half with her free hand and tail. How embarrassing!

Bulma held a stack of clothing in front of the blushing saiyan. "Put these on," she ordered. "They may not fit you very well, but they'll work until we take you shopping for new clothes."

Inari stared from the clothes, to the woman holding them, then back to the clothes before hesitantly taking them and putting them on. The blue jeans were at least two were baggy enough to practically be used for sparring practice, and the grey tank-top was almost skin tight and cut off just above her midriff; revealing the scar on her stomach between her hip and naval. She felt overly exposed from the waist up and overdressed from the hips down, but at least her biking gloves were still intact and wearable.

She finally slipped on the two, slightly stained, gloves and wrapped her silver tail around her hips as a belt to help keep the jeans in place. There was a catcall from a group of boys that drove by in a red car and she felt even more exposed. Men were such disgusting creatures at times.

"Well, don't you look nice," Chi-Chi complimented hesitantly.

"I feel like I'm still exposed," Inari admitted.

"Like I said, these are just until we can get you some new clothes," Bulma repeated. "Bulla would love to go shopping with you, and I'm sure Vegeta would be fine chauffeuring. Especially since you'll be wearing his jeans until he does."

Inari's eyes widened and she looked at the pants she was wearing in slight disgust. "I'm wearing…Vegeta's pants…" She shivered. "This is so wrong!"

"No, what's wrong is your sense of fashion," Bulla interrupted. "Seriously, a denim shirt with gray jeans, that's a crime if I've ever seen one."

Inari smiled slightly and laughed. "Well, forgive me. I wear clothes that are comfortable and don't show off too much skin." She emphasized on the last part as she scanned over the blue haired girl's red outfit that barely covered anything.

Everyone laughed at the look on Bulla's face after having her wardrobe insulted. As soon as everyone finally calmed down, a certain purple haired young man suddenly ran up to the group of people standing in the yard.

"Inari, you're finally awake!" Trunks laughed as he hugged the silver haired girl tightly.

Inari felt her spine crack in five places but tried her best to smile. "I won't be for much longer if you keep squeezing me like this, Trunks."

Trunks immediately released the suffocating girl from his grasp. "Right! Sorry, I sometimes forget my own strength."

"You sound like Dad whenever he breaks something in the house," Bulla scoffed.

"Hey, speaking of Vegeta," Goku turned to Inari and smiled, "why don't you tell us how you know him? He kept saying that we'd know everything when you woke up. So what's the deal with the two of you?"

Everyone turned their attention Inari as a bead of sweat rolled down her neck. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

"Hey, we've been waiting the past week to hear this story," Chi-Chi informed as she went into authoritative mode. "I'm pretty sure we can handle a long story."

There was a dull murmur through the small group as everyone agreed.

Inari sighed. "Well…to put it in short…"

Everyone leaned in close.

"Vegeta…is…"

"What the Hell is going on out here?" a rough voice demanded. "I come home from work to find everyone gathered around in the yard like a bunch of hens. What in the world is so interesting?"

Everyone turned around to see Vegeta walking towards them with his usual saunter.

"Dad, you won't believe it," Trunks laughed. "Inari finally woke up!"

Vegeta stopped in his tracks as the silver haired woman made her way through the crowd of people and stopped just out of the prince's reach. "Inari..."

Inari crossed her arms across her chest, mimicking the saiyan prince, and stared at him with a blank expression. "Hello, brother."

"BROTHER?" Everyone shrieked in disbelief.

Goten leaned closer to Trunks. "Dude, you almost asked your aunt on a date."

Trunks stood completely frozen in time as his whole world shattered around him.

"Vegeta, this girl's your sister?" Bulma exclaimed.

"Adopted sister, don't you dare think that this low-class runt is related to me by blood," Vegeta replied quickly.

Inari huffed as a smile coveted her features. "Blood, adopted, what does it matter? You still obviously have a grudge against me. I spend how many years trying to find you because I was worried you had blown up with the rest of our race, but clearly you could have cared less if I had burnt up."

"You're right," Vegeta mocked. "I could have cared less if you had just died in that fireball. Actually, to be honest, I was happier to see Raditz was still alive."

"Wait, you mean Raditz is alive?" Inari asked, utter disgust plaguing her features.

"And what if he is?" Vegeta prodded. "You're not afraid of such a low-class warrior, are you?"

Inari huffed. "Afraid? Hardly. I could defeat him with one hand tied behind my back. I'm more or less worried about the fact that he might try to propose to me again. Honestly, I would have rather married his father or baby brother before I married him."

"You don't say?" Vegeta crooned. "Well, his brother is standing right there with his wife and two sons," he pointed at Goku. "Why don't you go get yourself acquainted?"

Inari stared wide eyed at Goku and a very red faced Chi-Chi before turning her attention back to the saiyan prince. "I said I WOULD have rather married his father or brother. That doesn't mean I was ever planning on marrying any of them."

"Because you know that absolutely no male on our planet wanted to marry you," Vegeta scoffed.

"That's not true!" Inari shouted.

"Oh, really," Vegeta mocked. "Then name one male, besides Raditz, who would have been willing to marry you. Go on. Name him."

Inari began to shake.

"Ha! You can't, can you? At least I knew that any woman would have married me in an instant," Vegeta laughed. "Why would any male want to marry some weakling who was won in a child's game?"

A small wave of energy swept across the grass. "You take that back, Vegeta," Inari threatened.

"Or what, you'll have to hurt me?" Vegeta laughed harder. "You don't have what it takes to-"

The saiyan prince was suddenly launched so far in the air that he disappeared. Everyone stared wide eyed at the silver haired saiyan as she held her pose with her fist still in the air after launching her brother clear into space.

Inari let her arm slowly retract to her side and turned around. There was a sad, hurt look swirling deep within her amber eyes that everyone could see, but she quickly shook it off and smiled at everyone. "Would it be alright if we went inside so I can explain?"

Everyone nodded in perfect unison.

"Great," Inari smiled, and followed everyone into the house. Vegeta came plummeting to the ground a minute later.


End file.
